Steve Carter has been showing his Ryan SC-W this past year from his base Ballarat, Victoria, Australia (near Melbourne). After a multi-year restoration, the Ryan has been done up in CAP colors and is a hit on the Australian fly-in circuit. Look for a tour of the UK this summer, together with his Morris van!

The latest issue of the "Antique Airfield Runway", containing info and advance registration forms for the 2016 AAA/APM Invitational Fly-in, is at the printers
AAA members should see this latest issue in their mailboxes early the week of July 17th.
(cover photo by Dave Miller)

Antique Airfield near Blakesburg, Iowa has seen some of the rarest flyable antique aircraft in the world grace the grass here.
To the members of the Antique Airplane Association (AAA) it is considered home, especially during the Annual AAA/APM Invitational Fly-in over Labor Day weekend.

Always considered the “season opener” for the owners, pilots and lovers of antique & classic aircraft, the Cactus Fly-in begins in two weeks.

This, the 58th Annual Cactus Fly-in, is hosted by the Classic Aviation Association of Arizona (CAAA) (one of our AAA chapters) & will be held, as it has been for decades, at Casa Grande, AZ.

Along with lots of sunshine, warm temps and a plethora of antique/classic aircraft, the keynote speaker Saturday night will be Ann Pellegreno. Ann was the first to fly a Lockheed 10 Electra around the world (1967) on the Earhart Trail, and she dropped a wreath on Howland Island in memory of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan. She is also author of several books including World Flight and Iowa Takes To the Air, Vol. 1-3.

Always a bellwether for what to expect the rest of the year at fly-ins across the country, we hope to see many of our AAA members and their airplanes from throughout the US in attendance.

By now most are aware long time President of the Air Power Museum Inc. (APM) Mike Gretz has "Gone West" after a short illness.

If you have visited Antique Airfield or attended the AAA/APM Invitational Fly-in over the last two decades, you have no doubt seen and benefitted from the vision, planning and efforts of Mike, his wife Doris and many of his family members.

AAA/APM Founder Robert Taylor and APM President Mike Gretz deep in discussion in the "APM Library of Flight"

His vision and knowledge of aviation history helped in the decision and planning of the themes and featured aircraft at every AAA/APM Fly-in since 2002.

He took charge of making certain the APM side of the AAA/APM Fly-in operated, was staffed (by volunteers) and ran smoothly. Those efforts included designing the Fly-in T-shirts, taking care of the Fly-in vendors, helping plan and coordinate the nightly movies at the Runway Cinema, scheduled and coordinated various Type club and AAA Chapter meetings in APM facilities, and along with his wife Doris, stocked and operated the APM Gift Shop among many, many other efforts.

But perhaps most notable was his dedication to the APM "Library of Flight". Mike was instrumental and untiring in his efforts to improve the Library, helping make it known nationally as one of the premiere facilities/repositories for aviation history and research.

The "APM Library of Flight"

Therefore, the APM Board of Directors are pleased to announce the APM "Library of Flight" is to be re-named the "Mike Gretz Library of Flight".

We plan to re-dedicate the library during the 2016 AAA/APM Invitational Fly-in with the intent to continue Mike's work and efforts as a legacy to his name and memory.

I say a field of dreams and it might make you think of a movie about a baseball diamond out in the corn fields of Iowa where ghosts from the past come to life to play a game they loved.

Well, in a way it is a bit like that, it is an airfield nestled between the rows of corn in Iowa where some time ago Bob Taylor must have heard a voice say "If you build it, they will come."

Antique Airfield, home of the Antique Airplane Association where every year on the week leading up to Labor Day people from all over the world will gather with their old flying machines of yesteryear. Labor Day seems appropriate because often keeping the old birds in the sky can be a labor of love. All planes are welcome but you better know how to land on grass. If you bring a new one you won't be in the front row, something has to be parked in the back. Some will tell of the years in the past when they came to the field, while others, it's there first time.

Photo by Gilles Auliard

They are from every walk of life, millionaires with planes worth more than some like myself will make in forty years. Back home they may run a billion dollar company but here on the field they are just another pilot. They don't look down their nose at us who can't rub two nickels together. We are all the same. They still enjoy the planes we pieced together with parts that former care takers left behind. We won't forget to thank them for saving the rare ones that take great cash flow to keep in the air.

Photo by Gilles Auliard

Photo by Dave Miller

Many will tell of there first ride, it may not have been that long ago and others like myself tell of being too young to remember the ride in a plane that mom saved pennies to help dad buy.

It does not matter if your plane is an open cockpit or has doors, they can be left open wide so that others can get a good look inside. You can walk away with no fear, everything will be the same as you left it when you get back to your pride and joy.
We sit in the shade of wings chatting of a golden age, even though our lifestyle may not be the same, a hippie, a preacher or a transgender, there will be no judgment instead, a camaraderie of brothers and sisters that are aviators deep down inside.

Photo by Ted Goble

At night you can walk down the rows of planes with moonlight casting out the shadow of their image in the dark, it's as if you can see the ghost of the people that flew them years ago sitting in the seats. The night is not always quiet, up by the Pilots Pub between hangers one and two, a crowd will gather for laughter and song while guitars are strummed.

Photo by Brent Taylor

Camping in a tent by the plane there will be no sleeping in, at first light you will awaken to those gas powered alarm clocks. Big radial engines cracking off at dawn with their spit and sputter that make a Harley sound like a puttering moped. Some of them can make the ground shake as they go full throttle to get off the ground. In the morning when the air is cool and crisp for old wings, some will give rides, while others sip coffee, and watch them fly. Your conversation has short pauses as you are interrupted by them roaring by.

Photo by Jon Cook

We talk fondly of them as if they are mistresses with a name. But the smell of gas and oil in the air reminds us they are a machine with a spirit that is hard to explain. FAA rules say we must display papers showing who they belong to, but we understand too well that they are not ours, we are nothing more than caretakers for a just while.

On Sunday, there will be a time of silence and remembering of pilots that have "Gone West". Their planes tail sitting on the ground and nose pointed to the sky, with wings spread wide like angels ready to take them for their last ride.

In years to come when the next generation has taken over their care, maybe in the moonlight walking the flight line they might see our ghosts sitting in the seat and understand why some of us call this the Field of Dreams of flying machines.

The latest issue of the Antique Airfield Runway is about to go to the printers!

Included in this expanded issue (32 pages) will be color coverage of the 2015 AAA/APM Fly-in, news about the APM’s Bellanca 14-19-3 & American Eaglet, the official announcement about the 2016 AAA/APM Invitational Fly-in,"BTB Days", news of member's restorations/projects and more!

"The grace of service is the spirit of belonging."
― Lailah Gifty Akita

That quote describes our friend Mike pretty well!

I imagine by now most our AAA members and fans know of the passing of APM President Mike Gretz on Friday Jan 15th after a short illness.

Both the modeling world and the old airplane world have lost one of their most selfless promoters.
We know the family has been left with a financial burden due to the medical bills associated with Mike’s cancer battle, so here at the APM, our Board Secretary Stephen Black and I decided to do something about it.
Hence a crowdfunding campaign has been set up to help - click here to contribute.

We hope that all our AAA members and fans will get involved in making a contribution and spreading the word about this effort to help Doris & the Gretz family.